1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a decorative background assembly having an illustrated display panel, a fluorescent light, and an angled mirror, for use with an aquarium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Millions of Americans keep fish as pets in aquariums. Of great concern to most aquarium owners is the appearance of the aquarium itself, which complements and adds to the visual display offered by the fish within the aquarium.
A variety of aquarium accessories with mirrors are available for enhancing the appearance of an aquarium. U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,299 to Hendges appears to show an aquarium having mirrors and a concealed light positioned at the top, which gives the appearance of a larger number of fish. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,371 to Zuckerman appears to show a combination aquarium and mirror, wherein the mirror has a printed image. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,024 to Glidden appears to show an aquarium having a plurality of mirrors for providing an illusion to the observer of a larger number of fish.
None of these devices, however, appears to show a a decorative background assembly having an illustrated display panel, a fluorescent light, and an angled mirror, for use with an aquarium. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.
It is an object of the invention to produce a decorative background assembly which enhances the appearance of the aquarium. Accordingly, the assembly has an illustrated display panel which is positioned behind the rear wall of the aquarium where it may be easily seen by an observer looking through the front wall of the aquarium, thereby greatly enhancing the appearance of the aquarium.
It is another object of the invention to produce a decorative background assembly which is easily seen. Accordingly, the assembly has a bottom-mounted fluorescent light fixture and an angled mirror for reflection of fluorescent light onto the illustrated display panel, thereby allowing the display panel to be easily seen.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a decorative background assembly which will not be damaged by splashing water. Accordingly, the components of the assembly are water resistant, and are not damaged by splashing water from the aquarium.
It is yet another object of the invention to produce a decorative background assembly which may be used with an existing aquarium. Accordingly, the assembly has hooks which may be placed over the top portion of the rear wall of the aquarium, thereby allowing attachment of the assembly to an existing aquarium.
It is still yet another object of the invention to produce a decorative background assembly which may be easily removed from an aquarium when the aquarium needs to be cleaned. Accordingly, the assembly is easily removed by lifting the assembly upwards, thereby disengaging the hooks from the top portion of the rear wall of the aquarium.
It is an additional object of the invention to produce a decorative background assembly which is not unduly expensive. Accordingly, the assembly is constructed from inexpensive components and its cost is not prohibitive.
It is a further object of the invention to produce a decorative background assembly for an aquarium which provides a variety of pleasant background scenes. Accordingly, a variety of illustrated display panels are provided with the assembly, and a user may interchange these panels, to provide a variety of pleasant background scenes.
It is another object of the invention to produce a decorative background assembly for an aquarium which may be used with aquariums having a variety of sizes. Accordingly, the assembly is provided in a variety of sizes, thereby allowing use with aquariums of different sizes.
The invention is a decorative background assembly for an aquarium, having a plurality of interchangeable illustrated display panels, for enhancing the appearance of the aquarium. The assembly has a waterproof housing which encloses a frame which is not damaged by water and which selectively holds one of the display panels. The housing also encloses a fluorescent light fixture and an angled mirror in proximity to the light fixture. The housing has hooks for selective attachment of the decorative background assembly to the rear wall of the aquarium. The fluorescent light fixture and the mirror are mounted in proximity to the lower portion of the housing. In use, a user chooses one of the illustrated display panels for insertion into the frame. The user then selectively attaches the decorative background assembly to the rear wall of the aquarium by fitting the hooks over the rear wall of the aquarium. The fluorescent light is then illuminated, thereby illuminating the display panel with light reflected by the angled mirror.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims.